Cancer Characteristics and Personality

Cancer Zodiac Sign meaning
- Cancer dates are June 22 – July 22.
- Element: Water
- Mode: Cardinal
- Cancer symbol: ♋
What is certain is that Cancereans belong to the most tender and sentimental sign, which makes them great companions and friends. Read here for Cancer Daily Horoscope
Cancer Traits
Cancer, the fourth sign of the Zodiac is one of the most sensitive signs. A Cancer personality is empathetic & caring but the reasons behind this are more complex than one could imagine. The sign’s zest for life comes from its Cardinal Quality, while the emotional roller-coaster the sign seems to be on most of the time comes from its association with the Water Element. Keep in mind Cancerian reader that the quality of each sign largely shapes its compatibility with other zodiac signs.
Cancer Personality
Laughter is something people under this sign value greatly as it allows them to let loose and enjoy their coexistence with others. Jokes are also valued by Cancerians for the exact same reason and sharing jokes with you is a great indicator that you’ve established a communication line that feels safe to them.
Every person under the sign of Cancer is a living bank of memories! Memory is one of the sign’s strongest suits but not in the sense of remembering details like the color of a dress, or the exact song that played on a certain day but in that of being able to recall exactly how all those moments felt, even after decades have passed…
Cancerians are sensitive, tender beings and in fact Cancer is considered to be just that: the most sentimental sign. If you manage to make them feel safe enough to “let you in” they will prove themselves to be excellent friends and partners.
Cancer Relationship
Cancer and Aries: A love match of marked contrasts. They are likely to go through intense conflicts, but also to be initiated into aspects of love previously unknown to them.
Cancer and Taurus: An ideal combination. Once romantically involved, those two instinctively know how to respond to each other’s needs, forming a harmonious bond.
Cancer and Gemini: This is a challenging combination, due to their different outlooks on love. However, if Gemini teach Cancer how to externalise their feelings, and Cancer help Gemini to learn to handle their own emotions, they can make an excellent couple.
Cancer and Cancer: Two Cancerians can form a particularly compatible love match, as they both primarily long for emotional safety. They can immediately understand each other and create an environment of comfort, security and affection that can alleviate their fear of betrayal and loss.
Cancer and Leo: At first glance, this match appears to be quite challenging, as the signs involved seemingly come from different worlds; if, however, their attraction to each other is intense, their erotic chemistry can prove to be explosive.
Cancer and Virgo: These two make a highly compatible couple. They can create a stable, fruitful relationship, which can emotionally fulfil both partners on a continual basis. They seem to be made for each other.
Cancer and Libra: This love match can prove very challenging for both partners. However, despite their differences, they can satisfy each other’s need for companionship and emotional closeness, as long as they form a bond based on mutual respect.
Cancer and Scorpio: They both put love and companionship above all other things in life. Once in a relationship, they tend to wholly devote themselves to it – albeit in somewhat dissimilar ways, reflecting their different characters.
Cancer and Sagittarius: This love match represents a highly unconventional romantic experiment, which can have a happy ending if these different temperaments can demonstrate the necessary patience.
Cancer and Capricorn: They represent opposing outlooks on life. But with Capricorn finding rational and practical solutions to their problems and Cancer keeping their bond alive with romantic gestures, this can be a perfect love match, in a complementary fashion.
Cancer and Aquarius: If these signs manage to bridge their differences, they can have a fruitful romantic involvement based on sincerity. The romantic match between these signs will force Cancer out of their shell but also pressure Aquarius to explore their inner world of feeling.
Cancer and Pisces: This love match represents an intensely emotional pairing that gives both partners the chance to reveal the richness of their inner world. They seem to be made for each other. They both love immersing themselves in their rich feelings.
Find out more about Cancer best and worst matches in our zodiac sign compatibility guide!
The Cancer Man
Sensitive and psychic, the spooky Cancer man always feels the pain - his own mostly - and loves telling you all about it. He might even still suck his thumb. The Cancer man will also likely be into history or be interested in your relationship history and he’ll never forget your birthday. His offbeat sense of humor and gentleness are big pluses.
How to win the heart of a Cancer Man
Some of our biggest home-grown movie stars, like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford, were born under this sign. Whether you’re sizing him up as your own personal all-American action hero or as a comfort blanket in human form, your Cancer man is a tough nut to crack. He can also be a bit nutty when his lunar ruler plays up in his horoscope, and one of the best ways to win his heart is to tickle his funny bone. Is he a mummy’s boy? He might be, and you might be compared to her more than you’d like to be – plus, if you’re close to your mum and/or your family, then you’ll go up in his estimation right away.
The Cancer Woman
Lady Cancer is unfathomable. She’s closed for business, the shutters pulled down tight and nobody knows who this mysterious clam really is. That’s true even when she’s the life of the party making clever jokes and everything. It’s all a front. A fortress with a deep mote. She puts on a tough outer persona to hide her vulnerabilities and you could spend years in her vicinity and never truly know her. It’s because her inner world is a constant swirl of shifting moods and impressions, which must be kept firmly under wraps.
Family is everything to Lady Cancer. Blood is thicker than sharing a cocktail most evenings and Lady Cancer can be very cliquey. A bit like a Mafia boss, she only lets the most trustworthy into her inner circle so no wonder said circle stays very small. Once you become family, she’s loyal and fiercely protective of you, even when you cross a line. You’re family after all. Lady crab likes to fuss over the ones she loves. She’s a home-maker and a house-cat, her home being her sanctuary. She has a very active imagination which sadly tends toward the worst. Can’t be helped. She’s naturally wired to sniff out danger and build her defences. She can be a hoarder or “collector" and loves delving into history, the strange and unexplained, family trees, ancient lands and traditions.
How Cancer acts when they first fall in love
Impetuous Mars is in Cancer right now. Crabs could fall shell over pincers in love at any moment! Usually, those born under the sign of the crab remain slightly buttoned up, not wishing to appear too keen, even when they’re secretly measuring up for a closet extension ahead of when their new love moves in!
Since you are here:
Read the characteristics of another zodiac sign.